On September 15th, the Chaotian Palace Practice Stadium located in the northeast of Xuanwu Lake was crowded with people. In addition to the monks participating in the audition, there were also groups of relatives and friends of the monks, practice ball enthusiasts, melon-eating monks and a large number of ordinary people who flocked to watch.
The renovated Chaotian Palace training course follows the undulating terrain, and spectator stands are set up on both sides of each hole. There are 36 wooden stands on both sides of the entire course, which can accommodate tens of thousands of spectators. In order to meet the construction deadline, in Zhao
Under Ran's advice and guidance, Li Dayin mobilized more than twenty monks from his sect and used many talismans to complete the project.
In order to prevent stampedes caused by too many spectators, a fee-based entrance fee system was set up outside the stadium. The fee was not cheap, only ten cents per person. But despite this, a large number of spectators flooded into the stadium, and there was no room left in the stands.
Everyone stood on the sidelines, and the organizers of the competition had to pull up ropes to limit the viewing area for the spectators.
The audition is divided into primary, secondary and primary stages. In an open space, one of Li Dayin's junior disciples Huang Guanjing launched a practice ball into the sky. When the practice ball flew into the air, the participating monks swung and hit the ball.
Hit the training ball flying in the air with the ball and swing three shots in a row. One of the three will pass the preliminary selection and enter the second round.
Many monks signed up for the competition because they were eager for the prize money. They had never touched the practice ball before, so they hurriedly rushed to the audition for a few days. Of course, all three were empty, and they were eliminated immediately.
Due to the shortage of manpower, many monks from the Shangsan Palace were hired by Li Dayin as referees, and Taoist Xiaoyao was one of them. He watched with interest as Yan Shifan walked up in front of him, holding the club in a chic and standard posture, concentrating on it.
Staring at the yellow-crowned monk serving the ball, he nodded secretly in his heart. With this posture alone, he must be a master. It's a pity that he doesn't look good, otherwise he would be popular among countless people.
Sure enough, three training balls were thrown into the air in succession. Yan Shifan quickly hit two consecutive turns and hit the three white balls on the ground. Bang bang bang, three collision sounds were heard, and all three balls hit!
There was a burst of cheers from the side, led by the old housekeeper of the Yan Mansion, and a group of more than ten servants and maids gathered together, jumping for joy.
Taoist Xiaoyao smiled slightly, drew a circle on the list, raised the red card, and there was another burst of cheers next to him.
Yan Shifan threw the club in his hand to the side, and was caught by the servant. He gestured to the left and right, and left the field casually. A maid tied a cloak on him and served him pear soup. He drank the pear soup and stopped to watch.
The next player.
Taoist Xiaoyao signaled for the next person to come up, but it was a gray-haired old monk. After the old monk stood still, Taoist Xiaoyao looked at the way he was holding the pole and knew that this person was probably in trouble.
Sure enough, three balls flew out, and the old monk missed the first shot of his swing - not that he didn't hit the practice ball in the air, but that he didn't even hit the ball at his feet. At first glance, he was a novice.
The old monk reacted very quickly. In his busy schedule, he poked the club into the soil, used the club as an axis to support the center of gravity of his body, quickly swept out three kicks, kicked out the three wooden balls on the ground, and hit the ball accurately.
Hit the practice ball that was still in mid-air.
Taoist Xiaoyao shook his head, made a cross on the roster, and raised a green wooden sign to signal elimination.
The old monk immediately shouted that he was wronged: "I was hit, all three of them hit, why can't I pass?"
Taoist Xiaoyao pointed to the outside of the court: "Look at the rules. You must use a practice cue. What's the point of using your feet? Are you playing Cuju? This is not a Cuju venue. Next!"
After a while of burning incense, five of the ten people who participated in the preliminary round were eliminated, and half were successfully promoted.
Yan Shifan next to him smiled, did not look any further, and walked to the check-in area to wait.
After a while, the preliminary list for the first part of the Xin Group was sent over. The person who presided over the re-election was Li Dayin's junior brother. He announced the rules of the rematch: everyone should hit the ball from the first hole in order, and within one stick of incense
If you play the whole game continuously, you must score each of the 18 holes. You only have one chance for each shot. If you fail to complete even one shot, you will be eliminated immediately and will be eliminated from the second round.
There were twenty people participating in the re-election in this batch, all from the Geng and Xin groups. Yan Shifan was ranked first. None of the people after him were acquainted. There was only one who seemed familiar, named Zhang Tengming.
Yan Shifan glanced at Zhang Tengming. He was wearing regular clothes. He was a member of a powerful family or a sect. He felt that he had never seen him before. However, he was really a good person. There were many young men and women cheering for him outside the venue.
Cheer.
After reading the list, Yan Shifan threw the wind cape away, and his servant caught it. He stretched out his hand, and the butler handed the club over, and then he held the club forward and came to the teeing point.
The practice ball without confrontation is a piece of cake for Yan Shifan. He often practices and plays at home when he has nothing to do. It is too easy.
I saw his left hand in the cloth pocket at his waist - this cloth pocket was specially sewn on for him to put the ball in. He pinched the stick with his right hand, supported it with his right foot as the center of gravity, crossed his left foot to his right foot, and lightly pointed his toes.
Touch the ground lightly for balance - this stance should not be too unrestrained, it looks extremely relaxed and freehand.
At the command, Yan Shifan held the club with one hand and struck an arc. The practice ball soared into the air, flew over seventy or eighty feet, and landed accurately in the first hole without any sloppiness.
If you are playing ball normally, you can step on the lawn and enjoy the beautiful scenery and walk slowly over. But now it is a re-election, and there is a time limit of one stick of incense. The second monk has already stepped on the tee point, and he must make room for the monk behind him.
.So Yan Shifan exerted force with his feet, hurried over with a long stride, took out the practice ball from the hole, came to the second tee point, and then continued to swing...
With half of the stick of incense still left, Yan Shifan completed the eighteen-hole re-selection task. The referee showed a red sign indicating that he had passed the audition and would participate in the group stage main event to be held on the first day of October.
Amidst the congratulations of the servants, Yan Shifan took the wet wipes and wiped his hands, drank a new bowl of Poria soup, and then went back to observe the selection process of other contestants. Perhaps it was because of the super high level he showed that he would be impressed by the following.
The players in the second place almost made a mistake, and when it came to the third, fourth, and fifth places, they failed three consecutive times and were directly eliminated.
Yan Shifan roughly calculated that the ratio of passing the re-election is about three to one, that is, three people will get one. He very much agrees with this audition setting. In the absence of human interference, even the hole cannot be played.
If he can't make an eagle with one hit, how will he fight when two people play against each other? For such a low-level player, he doesn't have time to go out and train with him.
Monk No. 15 finished the first hole, eagle! Yan Shifan nodded. As soon as the expert stretched out his hand, he would know if there was one. This guy had a good level and could be called a strong opponent. Yan Shifan was about to follow him and watch him play the second shot.
Monk No. 16 came on stage, but it was a name that seemed familiar to him—Zhang Tengming.